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Hurricanes shore up future by locking in five young talents in signing spree

By Online Editors
One of the Hurricanes five new signings, Du'Plessis Kirifi. (Photo by Mark Tantrum/Getty Images)

The Hurricanes have positioned themselves well for the future by signing five of their most promising players for at least the next two seasons.

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Promising prop Xavier Numia (20), openside flanker Du’Plessis Kirifi (22), and lock James Blackwell (23) have signed with the club until the end of the 2021 season of two-year deals, while utility back Vince Aso (24), and second-year prop Alex Fidow (21), have signed until the end of the 2022 season on three-year commitments.

Hurricanes general manager of rugby Ben Castle believed the collective signing of the group would greatly benefit the players and the club.

“These players are talented young men with big futures who have been part of the Hurricanes family for some time now. We are very pleased to have them with us for the next few seasons at least,” he said.

“They are all very motivated individuals who have a strong desire to see the Hurricanes succeed.”

Hurricanes head coach John Plumtree was looking forward to the opportunity to continue to work with the players over the next few seasons.

“While our focus is very much on 2019 and getting the job done now, we still have to look closely at the future and locking in this group of players allows us to do that,” he said.

“All of the players we have signed are already contributing a lot to the squad’s performance but the coaching group really believe they can continue to get better and that is something they all want to do.”

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Du’Plessis Kirifi has been a ball of energy in his debut Super Rugby season. After exploding for the game-winning try against the Waratahs in Round 1 as an impact substitute, the Hurricanes elevated him into the starting team at openside as part of a dynamic back row. To accommodate him they have moved in-form All Black Ardie Savea to number 8, in a sign of how much regard Kirifi has earned.

The future of the Hurricanes front-row is in safe hands with age-grade reps Xavier Numia and Alex Fidow, both from local Wellington schools. Along with Asafo Aumua, the Hurricanes will be hoping the three will anchor their scrum for years to come.

Utility back Vince Aso, who first joined the Hurricanes in 2015 and scored a then-franchise record 15-tries in a season in 2016,  is closing in on 50 matches for the club. Along with Ngani Laumape, Billy Proctor, Peter Umaga-Jensen, the Hurricanes are not going to be short of firepower in the midfield in the future with the retention of Aso.

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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